Sunday, 12 October 2014

Books: Endgame By James Frey Book Review

I've got a new autumn read for you which is Endgame* by James Frey, a new YA fiction series. It has only come out this week, so it is absolutely brand new and I was kindly sent a copy of the novel to review. So here's what I think:

|Synopsis: Endgame|

Twelve ancient cultures were chosen millennia ago to represent humanity in Endgame, a global game that will decide the fate of humankind. Endgame has always been a possibility, but never a reality - until now. Twelve meteorites have just struck Earth, each meteorite containing a message for a Player who has been trained for this moment. At stake for the Players: saving their bloodline, as well as the fate of the world. And only one can win and survive the deadly game.

Sarah, Jargo and Marcus aren't ordinary teenagers. Like nine others, they are descendant from mankind's ancient bloodlines and they are Players in Endgame, an apocalyptic competition only one can win to rescue the world. Otherwise, the creators of Earth will destroy humankind. Trained all of their lives, Endgame has now become reality for the teenagers and the battle for existence begins.

Each Player is given a clue where to find three mystical objects, the so-called Earth Key, Sky Key and Sun Key. All three have to be found and delivered by the Player, who's smart enough to solve complicated puzzles and beat the others. A dangerous, but adventurous scavenger hunt around the world begins and may the best Player win.

|Endgame Is Here|

Endgame: The Calling, is part one of a new action-packed YA series that will grip you right from the beginning. The book tells the events through the eyes of various characters, so you get a broad picture of what is happening from different perspectives. The events unfold quickly and the action sequences are detailed and push the plot constantly forward. The characters are likeable, others, well, not so much, and it took me a while to distinguish between the Players as they all have very odd names.

The language is easy to follow which makes Endgame a page turner, however, there is room for improvement as the sentences are sometimes really short and tenses switch within a single line.

What makes Endgame so thrilling is that it is accompanied by a real life event to involve the readership actively. Cleverly, in between each chapter, there's a clue hidden for the reader to solve a puzzle given by the authors. If you can solve the mystery you could win a prize money of £300,000. The whole campaign is supported by Google Niantic, which is building a mobile location-based augmented reality video game inextricably tied to the books and mythology and Twentieth Century Fox has already bought the movie rights.

|A Cross Between The Hunger Games And The Lorien Legacies|

Endgame will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games and The Lorien Legacies, as it combines the character of both series. 12 ordinary teenagers, but trained to perfection in a deathly game and only one can be the winner? Sounds a lot like The Hunger Games.

Action, badass characters, a battle to rescue earth, as well as hiding and solving puzzles in a worldwide adventure including supernatural creatures reminded me of The Lorien Legacies (which is no surprise, as James Frey is one of the co-authors behind the successful series).

So, I've finished the 450 pages of Endgame within two days and I found the novel interesting to read and though, it mixes elements of other well-known YA series, it provides something new. I'm really intrigued by the real life event and the puzzles, which are quite hard, and I think it is clever to bring the action of the plot external and involve the audience for interaction. Most books these days, are just read and forgotten, but offering the reader to be an active part of the story is very refreshing. I just hope readers won't be as extreme as the Players in the book when getting involved with Endgame and the prize.

Endgame is out 7th October and available via Amazon. I've met James Frey when he came to promote Endgame in the UK. Read all about me meeting him at the Endgame Event at Waterstones in Bath. Have you read Endgame yet? Are you a fan of The Hunger Games or The Lorien Legacies?